Ghost
by Danja
Summary: Teela investigates a string of ... unusual ... burglaries. r
1. Chapter 1

**Ghost**

**Chapter One  
**

* * *

Disclaimer: "He-Man and The Masters of the Universe", their characters, and concepts are the property of Mattel.

* * *

"So … what all was stolen?" Teela asked Raanan the Merchant. She, Raanan, and his wife were standing in the center of Raanan's lavishly appointed living room. Crime scene technicians swarmed about the trio, scanning, measuring, photographing, and cataloging evidence.

"He stole some jewelry and several bags of gold," Raanan replied. He was a stout man in his early fifties with thinning dark hair and a long dark beard. He wore jeweled rings on his fingers and an expensive silk robe. He then added mournfully, "He stole my grandfather's watch…"

"…And my grandmother's brooch," Raanan's wife interjected.

Teela jotted some notes into a handheld computer. "Did either of you see or hear anything?" she asked.

Raanan and his wife looked at each other and shook their heads. "No," Raanan replied.

"Captain," said a technician as he approached Teela.

Teela glanced at the technician. She then turned back to Raanan and his wife and said, "Thank you for your time. I'll be back if I need anything further." As Raanan and his wife left the room, Teela turned her attention back towards the technician and asked, "What is it?"

"We've found footprints in the study, the kitchen, and the bedroom," the technician replied.

"Okay…" Teela replied.

"Here's where it gets weird," said the technician. "There's no trail of footprints connecting the three rooms."

"You're saying our thief just … _APPEARED_ … in the three rooms?" asked Teela.

"We've gone over this house with a fine-toothed comb," said the technician. "There's no entry marks … no sign of footprints in either the living room or on the stairs. There's no way you or I could've gained access to those rooms without walking through the rest of the house."

"And yet, _HE_ did," said Teela.

"How is that possible?" the technician queried.

"Our thief may well possess … certain powers," Teela concluded.

The technician knitted his brows in confusion. " 'Powers', Captain?"

"In order to make those footprints without leaving a trail, he would've had to have been able to … teleport himself … inside the bedroom and the study," Teela replied. "Given that there's nothing of any value in the kitchen, I'm assuming _THAT'S_ where he made his entrance." Teela paused. "If you're talking powers, you're talking magic."

"You think our thief's … a sorcerer?" the technician asked in a hushed tone of voice.

"He may well be," Teela replied. "I don't know."

"You know anything about magic?"

"Me? No…" Teela replied. "But I know someone … who _DOES_."


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two

* * *

**

"I can tell you what he is _NOT_," said The Sorceress of Grayskull from her throne. "He is _NOT_ a sorcerer."

"How do you know this?" Teela asked. She was standing before the Throne of Grayskull's massive pedestal.

"If he _WAS_ a sorcerer, what need would he have to rob anyone?" The Sorceress asked. "If he wished to surround himself with riches, would it not be easier to _conjure_ them?"

"I suppose…"

The Sorceress knitted her eyebrows in puzzlement. "It makes no sense."

"The people _I _deal with aren't exactly known for using common sense," said Teela. "Why he's doing this, I couldn't tell you." Teela paused. "Kicks? Thrills?"

"He's clearly deriving some sort of … financial gain … from these robberies," said The Sorceress. "Why else would he be seeking out … and carting away … the victims' valuables?" The Sorceress paused. "What all do you have on this person? I'm curious…"

"All we have is what I've told you," said Teela. "His M.O. … and the footprints. He wears a man's Size 7 boot."

"Based upon the evidence you have presented to me, I believe this person might be more accurately termed … a 'mutant'," said The Sorceress. "At this time, his powers appear to be limited to teleportation and materialization-dematerialization of objects."

Teela looked at The Sorceress quizzically. " 'Materialization-dematerialization'? " she asked. "I'm not following you…"

"How else could he have gotten the stolen goods out of the house?" The Sorceress asked. "Something else … I've noticed the victims are all wealthy."

"He's going where he can take the biggest haul," said Teela.

"It may also serve as a means of assuaging any guilt he may be feeling over the robberies," said The Sorceress. "He's targeting people whom he perceives … have plenty to spare."

"A mutant, huh?" said Teela. "There's still the possibility that we're dealing with a sorcerer…"

"True … the possibility is there," said The Sorceress with a smile. "…But highly unlikely."

"Thank you, Sorceress," said Teela.

* * *

The next morning, Teela found herself called to the house of Orban the Merchant. The same mysterious thief who had robbed Raanan the Merchant earlier had robbed Orban and his wife.

_Three mysterious burglaries in two weeks, _Teela thought as she stood with Orban in the study. _I'm seeing a definite pattern here. _Before her, a rug lay pulled back, revealing a safe embedded in the floor. _In each house, he zeroed in on the study and bedroom. This is someone who knows what he wants … and where to find it._

"Mercifully, the fiend couldn't open the safe," said Orban smugly. "I guess my security was too much for him."

_Teela,_ said The Sorceress telepathically. _Open the safe._

Teela glanced around nervously. "The safe is locked," Teela replied through clenched teeth in a stage whisper.

_This is no ordinary thief, _said The Sorceress. _He entered the study for a reason. I can't see him giving up so easily._

"The thief must not have been able to get into the safe," said Teela. "The door is snapped shut."

"Who're you talking to?" Orban asked Teela, wondering why the Captain of the Guard was suddenly having a conversation with herself.

"Umm, uhhh … Radio," Teela muttered, pressing her fingers against her ear - as if using a radio - and fumbling for a graceful exit. "Excuse me," she said as she turned away from Orban and ducked into a corner of the study.

_Open the safe, _said The Sorceress telepathically.

"You getting something?" Teela asked The Sorceress in a stage whisper.

_Yes._

"Most thieves don't bother with the safe," said Teela. "Fumbling with the combination takes too much time."

_As I said earlier … this is no ordinary thief._

Teela sighed and walked back over to Orban. _I have the sickening feeling something is about to happen,_ she thought.

"What was _THAT_ all about?" Orban asked as Teela returned to his side.

"Umm … would you mind opening the safe, please?" Teela asked.

"What for?" Orban inquired, puzzled. "The door is snapped shut."

"Standard procedure," Teela lied.

Orban sighed, kneeled down, pressed a series of buttons on the door, and opened the safe. He blanched and let out a yelp as he saw the inside of the safe, now having been emptied of its contents.

"My safe!" Orban moaned. "He cleaned me out!"

Teela looked inside the empty safe. "He sure did," she said, agreeing with Orban.

"How is this possible?" Orban wondered. "He couldn't have known the combination."

"We're dealing with a thief who possesses the power to pass through solid objects," Teela explained. "The simplest explanation would seem to be that he reached in through the locked door, felt around for whatever valuables were inside, grabbed and dematerialized whatever he could carry, and pulled them out through the door."

Orban crouched before the safe, his face a mask of shock. _How could this_ HAPPEN?

Teela looked back towards the empty safe. _I hate it when she's right,_ she thought.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three

* * *

**

_Case Log - Teela_

_I went back to the scenes of the previous two burglaries fitting our mystery burglar's M.O. - _THEIR _safes were cleaned out, too. No strange prints on the locks or the handles; our thief clearly pulled the loot out through the locked door._

_I can see why The Sorceress of Grayskull might take a personal interest in this particular case. It's most certainly … unusual (How often does one have to deal with a burglar who possesses mutagenic powers? I wonder … is this guy another one of those "X-Files" the Queen sometimes jokes about?)_

_What I wouldn't give for a nice little purse-snatcher right about now…

* * *

_

"This time, our guy slipped up," said the technician. Teela has been called to the house of Hazar the Shipbuilder. The same mysterious thief who had robbed Raanan and Orban had robbed Hazar.

"How so?" Teela inquired. She and the technician were standing in Hazar's lavishly appointed living room.

"He was attacked by Hazar's dog," said the technician. "There's a trail of blood spatter in the hallway."

"I want a DNA sequence of that blood," said Teela.

"Our thief shot the dog," said the technician. "The dog was found in the hallway with a laser scorch mark on the side of his head … dead." The technician paused. "We found a bag containing stolen goods next to the dog."

"Our thief must've dropped it when he was attacked by the dog," said Teela. _Real animal lover,_ she thought wryly to herself. "Anything else?"

"Yeah," said the technician. "Our thief left behind something else … a witness."

* * *

"Can you describe what the thief looked like?" Teela asked Rami, one of Hazar's chambermaids. Teela and Rami were standing in the kitchen.

Rami shook her head. "I didn't see him," she said. "I heard the dog barking. After that, I heard a gunshot. When I went to see where the noise was coming from, I found Maximillian lying dead in the hallway."

" 'Maximillian', I presume … is the dog?" Teela inquired.

Rami nodded. "Yes," she said. "When I reached the hallway, the thief had already left."

_Blast,_ Teela thought bitterly. "Thank you for your time, Miss," she said.

* * *

That night, Teela was in her quarters. A borrowed docking port was attached to a small computer terminal sitting atop her desk. A small Lucite cube containing the thief's DNA sequence sat inside the docking port.

"Computer," said Teela. "Access all records of active-duty and retired service personnel. Match unknown DNA sequence to record containing unknown DNA sequence."

"No records found," the computer replied in an electronically digitized feminine voice.

"Computer," said Teela. "Access all records of birth certificates. Match unknown DNA sequence to record containing unknown DNA sequence."

"No records found," came the computer's reply.

_He's not from Eternos … and he's not from any of the nearby provinces,_ Teela thought. "Computer," she said. "Access all criminal records. Include Intercrime Database in search. Match unknown DNA sequence to record containing unknown DNA sequence."

"No records found," came the computer's reply.

_No criminal record …_ THAT'S _a first._ "Computer," said Teela. "Access all school records. Match unknown DNA sequence to record containing unknown DNA sequence."

"No records found," came the computer's reply.

_He's not from Eternos. He's not from any of the nearby provinces. He wasn't born here. He didn't go to school here. He didn't serve in the military. _Teela cast her eyes upwards - as if appealing to The Ancients - and said, "You're not making this easy for me, are you?"


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four

* * *

**

"I've recovered a DNA sequence from our thief," said Teela. She and The Sorceress of Grayskull were gathered in The Sorceress's quarters at Castle Grayskull.

"And…?" The Sorceress interjected.

"I've been combing through his records," said Teela. "Criminal records, military records, school records, birth certificates…"

"And…?"

"Nothing," said Teela dejectedly.

"I see…"

"He's not from Eternos … or any of the surrounding provinces," said Teela. "Unfortunately, that leaves the rest of the planet." Teela paused. "Since you seem to have taken a personal interest in the case, I was hoping I could pick your brain."

The Sorceress cradled her chin with her thumb and index finger, deep in thought. "Let's backtrack a moment," she said finally. "Perhaps we should begin by answering the question of when … and _HOW_ … our thief acquired his … paranormal powers." The Sorceress paused. "It could very well provide a clue to his identity."

"Okaaay…" said Teela.

"As a rule, burglars are _MADE_ … not born," said The Sorceress. "They're usually career criminals. They usually start out as juvenile offenders, committing petty crimes: purse snatching, pickpocketing, shoplifting … what-have-you."

"That means our thief would've had a record long before now," said Teela.

"Exactly," said The Sorceress.

"How does this tell us when our thief acquired his powers?" Teela inquired.

"He may well have acquired them as a grown man," said The Sorceress. "Having been unable to secure a so-called 'honest living' by virtue of his being perceived as a mutant-slash-'freak' by society, he may well have been driven to crime by desperation."

"I see…"

"As I said earlier, he's clearly deriving a financial gain from these robberies," said The Sorceress. "In each robbery, he's targeted the study and the bedroom."

"He doesn't waste time hunting around for whatever he can grab," said Teela. "In-and-out."

"To me, that indicates a very controlled, disciplined manner of operation," said The Sorceress. "Ex-military, perhaps?"

_That would explain how he was able to shoot that dog in cold blood,_ Teela thought_. As far as our thief was concerned, that dog was little more than a furry, four-legged obstacle that needed to be overcome._ "I've searched military records," she said finally. "Nothing."

"He may well have served in a local militia," said The Sorceress.

Teela's face sank. "Each province maintains their own records…" she said.

"By law, every member of a regulated militia is required to register their weapon with the Crown," said The Sorceress.

Teela's face brightened. "…And they have to turn in a DNA sequence as part of the registration process!" she exclaimed happily. "I think you may be onto something there." _Check gun registrations_, she thought, making a mental note to herself.

"This may also tell us the means by which our thief acquired his mutagenic powers," said The Sorceress. "He may well have picked them up during his time in the military." The Sorceress paused. "Given our thief's ability to manipulate matter at an atomic level, he may well have acquired them as a result of being exposed to radiation."

"In all of Eternian history, there's only been one recorded incident of a wartime use of radiation weapons … the Battle of Culfannon," said Teela. "Every schoolchild knows that." Teela paused. "The battle left no survivors."

"Did it now?" asked The Sorceress with an impish grin. "The history books have been shown to be wrong in the past."

"Wait," said Teela. "You're saying our guy survived _CULFANNON?_"

"What I'm saying is … he may have acquired his mutagenic powers during his time in the military," said The Sorceress. "He may have acquired them during battle … or he may have acquired them as a result of an accident involving radiation." The Sorceress paused. "Given that a person serving in a militia wouldn't have had access to radiation materials, it's far more likely that he would've acquired them … in battle."

Teela stared dumbstruck at The Sorceress, trying to take all of this in. _A Culfannon survivor! Who'da thunk? _she thought. _At the same time, there's no escaping … her logic._ "I'll check the gun registrations," she said.

"I hope you find him," said The Sorceress.

"You've been a big help," said Teela. "You've just given this investigation a shot in the arm," she said with a grin. "Thank you, Sorceress."

"My pleasure," said The Sorceress with a smile.

* * *

Back in her quarters, Teela - armed with the lead she received from The Sorceress of Grayskull - once more engaged her computer with its attached docking port and Lucite cube containing the thief's unknown DNA sequence.

"Computer," Teela commanded. "Access weapon registration database, subheading 'militia'. Match unknown DNA sequence to record containing unknown DNA sequence."

"One record found," came the computer's electronically digitized feminine reply.

_YESSS!_ Teela cheered inwardly. "Open record," Teela commanded.

Teela sat down at her desk as the file appeared on her monitor. _"Name: Amadeus" … "Place of Birth: Noella." Hmm, my mother's from there, _Teela thought_. "Current Residence: Noella". _

It was at that moment that Teela had a flash of insight_. Now that I know where he lives, I can pull up his service record,_ she thought. "Computer," she commanded. "Access provincial militia records database. Regiment: 'Noella'. Name: 'Amadeus'."

"One record found," came the computer's reply.

"Open record," Teela commanded once more. Amadeus's gun registration record disappeared from the screen, replaced onscreen by his service record.

A full-face photograph of Amadeus appeared in the upper left-hand corner of the screen. For the first time, Teela was able to stare into the face of her thief: a slightly built young man in his early twenties with a wiry face, blue eyes, and close-cropped dark hair.

"Current Residence: Noella," said Teela as she read the file out loud to herself. "Spouse … Teela-Na." _What the…? _she thought as a chill ran down her spine. "Status: Killed In Action … _CULFANNON?" _

_Teela,_ said The Sorceress telepathically, trying to get Teela's attention.

_What's going_ ON _here?_ Teela thought as she stared wide-eyed at the screen.

_TEELA! _

Startled, Teela gasped and jumped in her seat. "Sorceress," she said.

_Examine his death certificate, _said The Sorceress.

"This is insane!" Teela interjected. "This doesn't make sense! Corpses don't rob houses!"

_Living people who have been presumed dead … _DO, said The Sorceress telepathically. _The odds of another person sharing our thief's exact DNA sequence … are nothing short of astronomical._

"Wait," said Teela. "You're saying he's alive, but he's been presumed _DEAD?_"

_If I may quote the great Terran detective Sherlock Holmes, "When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains … however improbable … must be the truth."_

Teela let out a sigh. _May as well,_ she thought. "Computer," Teela commanded. "Access death records database. Match unknown DNA sequence to record containing unknown DNA sequence."

"One record found," came the computer's reply.

"Open record," Teela commanded. Teela slouched in her seat as Amadeus's service record was replaced by his death certificate onscreen. _Name: Amadeus. Surviving Spouse: Teela-Na. Surviving Children ... Teela, daughter. _She then let out a breath. _Ancients! _THIS _guy … is my_ FATHER!


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

A/N: Sorry it's taken so long to update (R/L has intruded on my writing time.)

* * *

Night had fallen on The Evergreen Forest. Amadeus sat before a blazing campfire. No longer a strapping youth, he was a balding, wiry man in his early forties. This night, he wore a skin-tight black bodysuit, black sweat pants, fingerless black leather gloves, a holstered laser pistol on his leg, and black combat boots.

"Amadeus?" barked a stern feminine voice - Teela's - to Amadeus's right. She stood at Amadeus's right, wearing a heavy black cloak.

"There's no one by that name here," said Amadeus.

"I have a DNA sequence from Hazar the Shipbuilder that says otherwise."

Amadeus leaped up suddenly and turned to face Teela. "Who are you?" he growled. "What do you want?"

Teela pulled back her cloak, revealing her uniform. "Teela, Royal Guard," she said. This, in turn, caused Amadeus to instinctively vanish into thin air.

"_HEY!_ _GET BACK HERE!_" Teela commanded. "I'm not going to arrest you!" She then added, "…At least, not _YET_."

Amadeus re-materialized in front of Teela, leveling a laser pistol at her. "What do you want?" he barked.

"You're in enough trouble for burglary," said Teela, crossing her arms. "You want _ANOTHER_ five years for threatening an officer of The Crown?"

Amadeus grumbled and sheepishly holstered his pistol. "I'll say again…" he said. "What do you want?"

"How 'bout some answers?" said Teela.

Amadeus sat back down before the campfire. "Such as…?"

"How does a war hero come to be robbing houses?"

"Would _YOU_ hire _ME_ … a _FREAK?_" Amadeus shot back. "You know what it's like to be hungry … to be desperate?"

_Spare me the sob story, _Teela thought.

"I lost everything to The Horde … my wife, my farm, my village," Amadeus continued. "…_EVERYTHING!_"

"It's no excuse for irresponsible behavior…"

Amadeus turned back towards the campfire. "You wouldn't understand…"

"Try me," said Teela.

Amadeus glanced at Teela. "You _REALLY_ wanna know?"

"Yes."

Amadeus sighed. "I was a soldier…" he said as he began to tell his story

* * *

_"I served in the provincial militia, Noella Regiment," said Amadeus. "I tried enlisting in the Royal Army … but I was rejected for being underweight."_

_"Tell me more," said Teela._

_"My unit was sent to Culfannon. Apparently, the Horde was dug inside the city. My platoon was holed up inside a bombed-out apartment building, pinned down by Horde troopers across the street. _

_"Me and my buddy were firing out a window on a nest of Horde troopers. I looked away … just for a moment … "_

_"And…?" Teela interjected._

_"When I looked back, my buddy was on the ground … Dead. Half his face blown off."_

_"What did you do then?" Teela inquired._

_"The only thing I could think of _TO _do … I ran," said Amadeus. "I ran out of the room … out of the apartment building. Ran for dear life. I ran and ran and ran. I finally took cover inside a fountain several blocks away. It was then that … _IT … _happened."_

_"What?" Teela interjected. "_WHAT _happened?"_

_"The Metreon Cascade," Amadeus replied. "I was a few blocks from Ground Zero." Amadeus paused. "First, there was this blinding white light … so bright, I couldn't hardly see. A broiling, fiery, white light. I shielded my eyes by staring at the inside of the fountain."_

_"Then what happened?"_

_"After the light, there was the wind … a great, roaring wind. A cyclone … powerful enough to blow me against the side of the fountain." Amadeus paused. "After that, it was over."_

_"Wow…"_

_"I went back to the apartment building … went back to my unit. There was nothing left of em. Nothing … except ashes."_

_"Ashes?"_

_"You ever see someone cremated?" Amadeus asked. "That's all there was of my unit … piles of ashes." Amadeus paused. "Sure, there were _SOME _remains … a foot here, an arm there. The rest was just … ashes."_

_"What'd you do after that?" Teela inquired._

_"It was then that I left for good," said Amadeus. "I took off my ID tags, left them in the ashes, and ran out of the apartment building … Forever."

* * *

_"I went back to Eternos," said Amadeus. "Next thing I knew, me and my unit were being hailed as 'fallen war heroes'." Amadeus paused. "It was then that I went underground..."

"You were thrown into circumstances beyond your control…"

Amadeus nodded. "_THAT'S_ how I survived the war," he said angrily. "I survived … because I was a craven little coward who didn't want to die." Amadeus paused. "I hid … because I wanted to spare my wife the embarrassment of being married to a coward … a deserter."

"What happened after that?"

"Roamed around … doing this and that. I was a merc for a lot of years … "

Teela knitted her eyebrows in puzzlement. " 'Merc?' "

" 'Merc' … mercenary," said Amadeus. "Good, evil … didn't matter. I worked for whomever would pay me." Amadeus paused. "Anyway, I did _THAT_ for a few years … under an assumed name, of course. It was by that time that I discovered my … powers."

"What made you quit?"

"After a while, I figured there had to be an easier way to make a living than to spend my career being shot at," said Amadeus. "It was then I became … a thief." Amadeus paused. "I never counted on anyone going through the death records."

"You don't like what you're doing, do you?" Teela asked.

"I told you," said Amadeus. "I do what I do … for the money." He then added bitterly, "Who would hire _ME_ … a _FREAK?_"

"_I _would…"

Amadeus glared at Teela. "You're kidding, right?"

Teela shook her head … No. _I _REALLY_ don't want to be in the position of having to arrest my own father, _she thought._  
_

Amadeus held out his wrists before Teela, as if waiting to be cuffed. "It's all right," he said softly. "You have a job to do … I understand."

"I'm not going to arrest you," said Teela.

Amadeus raised his eyebrows at Teela, surprised. "Why?"

"If you _REALLY_ want to go straight, I want to help you."

"How?"

"I was serious about hiring you," said Teela. "I could always use a paid informant…"

"And what am I supposed to do in between visits from _YOU?_" Amadeus snapped. "I _KNOW_ you don't want me pullin' jobs…"

"You're right … I don't," said Teela. She then thought for a moment and said, "Ever think of being a bounty hunter?"

Amadeus raised an eyebrow. "_ME?_ Bustin' bad guys?" he exclaimed in disbelief.

"Why not?" said Teela. "You know the underworld, you know the players…"

Amadeus looked back towards the campfire. "Bounty hunter…" he mused.

"You could work for yourself," said Teela. "You wouldn't have to worry about anyone labeling you a ... 'freak'." Teela paused. "Who's better qualified to catch crooks … than someone who used to _BE_ one?"

"Bounty hunter," said Amadeus to himself. "I like the sound of that."

"I'm letting you go … under _ONE_ condition," said Teela.

"I know," said Amadeus. "No more pullin' jobs."

Teela nodded. "Exactly," she said with a smile. She then warned, "If I find out you're back to your old tricks…"

"I understand…" said Amadeus softly.

"You know, you look nothing at all like your picture…" Teela said off-handedly.

"That was over twenty years ago … I was a kid back then," said Amadeus. He then asked, "What was your name again…?"

"Teela," Teela replied.

" 'Teela'," said Amadeus. "My wife's name was Teela. At least, it was before we got married."

_That would explain the "Na" at the end of her name,_ Teela thought. _Among her people, it may well be an appellation bestowed upon a maiden when she marries._

"You two wouldn't happen to be related now, would you?" Amadeus said jokingly.

"She's your daughter, Amadeus," said a soft feminine voice - The Sorceress of Grayskull's - to Amadeus's left.

Amadeus turned towards the voice. Standing to his left was Teela-Na, a.k.a. The Sorceress of Grayskull. Gone was her usual feathered uniform; in its place she wore a simple peasant dress, soft leather slippers, and a brown leather cloak. Her falcon-shaped headdress was also gone, revealing a head of shoulder-length red hair.

Amadeus rose to greet his wife. "Teela-Na," he said, stunned.

"Hello, Amadeus," said Teela-Na quietly.

Amadeus gently held Teela-Na's hands in his own. "Forgive me, my love," he said softly, looking downcast at the ground. "I've done some terrible things. Things … I'm ashamed of."

"I'd be lying if I said I was pleased," said Teela-Na. "At the same time … after twenty years … it's water under the bridge now."

"I … don't know what to say," Amadeus stammered.

"How about you'll go straight?" Teela-Na said softly.

"I will," said Amadeus. "For you…" He then leaned in close, gently held Teela-Na's face in his hands, and kissed her tenderly on the lips.

"For Teela…" Amadeus added softly, his voice barely above a whisper. "…For our daughter."

"I'll … leave you two alone," said Teela. As she turned to leave, Amadeus and Teela-Na - husband and wife once more ... at least, for the moment - tenderly held and kissed one another, utterly oblivious to Teela's presence.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

* * *

_Some days I wish I _DIDN'T _know about my family,_ Teela thought as she jogged along the beach. Today she wore a tank top, black sweat pants, and hi-top black running shoes. _My mother is a sorceress … and my father is a presumed-to-be-dead-soldier-turned-thief-turned-bounty-hunter who possesses paranormal powers._

Seagulls cackled in the early morning sun. _So where does this leave_ ME? Teela wondered.

_Normal is overrated,_ said a voice (Her own?) inside Teela's mind.

Teela came to a stop on the beach. _So true, _she thought, a wide grin crossing her face. _So true.

* * *

_

It was midnight-thirty at the Royal Palace of Eternos. Teela was in her quarters, lying deep asleep in bed.

"Teela … Teela," a man's voice - Amadeus's - called out to Teela. A strong arm clad in a black jacket and gloves reached out and shook her shoulder.

"Mmmph …?" Teela grumbled as she stirred and turned on the lamp that sat on the nightstand next to her bed. She looked up, gasped, and instinctively reached over to press the large red alarm button that was sitting on her nightstand.

"Don't…" said Amadeus, grabbing Teela's wrist before she could press the button. He then removed his mask and said, "It's only me."

"What're you doing here?" Teela asked, surprised.

"Your mother told me where you lived," said Amadeus. He then added, "Consider this … my last job."

"What do you want?" Teela inquired.

"Your mother and I were talking," said Amadeus.

"And…?"

"She thinks the world of you," said Amadeus quietly. "Graduated Number One in your class at The Academy … Captain of the Royal Guard … " Amadeus paused. "You've gone fifteen rounds against the likes of Skeletor and Evil-Lyn … and _WON_…"

"What's the _POINT_ of all this?"

"She's proud of you," said Amadeus with a shy smile. "… And so am I," He then shuffled his feet and said, "I guess what I'm saying is … _YOU'RE_ the hero of the family, not I."

_Let's not forget Mother, Defender of Castle Grayskull. _"Thanks," said Teela. "I really appreciate that."

"My pleasure," Amadeus replied.

"I didn't think anyone noticed…" _How do you compete with He-Man? How do you compete with someone whose birthday is a Royal holiday?_

Amadeus smiled, closed his eyes, and shook his head. "_SHE_ has," he said. "She always has."

"Why didn't she tell me … about _YOU?_" Teela inquired.

"I know about your … father," Amadeus replied. "I guess she didn't want me … coming between you two." He then put his mask back on and said, "I must go."

"Amadeus, wait!" Teela cried. She couldn't quite bring herself to call him "Father."

Amadeus turned back around and looked at Teela.

"How can I find you?" Teela asked.

"You know where Mother's Tavern is … on the waterfront?" Amadeus replied.

Teela nodded silently in recognition. "I've been there," she said.

"Ask for Ghost," Amadeus said as he turned and disappeared into thin air.

THE END


End file.
